J M Wetherington Sr

Happy Superman Day 2026

Posted on June 12, 2026 by J.M. Wetherington Sr.

In honor of the world’s greatest superhero EVER, I’d like to wish you all a very Happy Superman Day 2026.

Happy Superman Day! Graphic — Screenshot

Some of you, I’m sure, are thinking, “Wait Jeff, last year you wished us Happy Superman Day on April 18th! Why are you saying it’s on June 12th this year?”

I’m glad you asked.

Wikipedia has the answer for us:

“Superman Day is an annual event organized by DC Entertainment to celebrate and promote Superman.

The first Superman Day was June 12, 2013. It was a date selected by DC Comics and Warner Brothers to celebrate Superman’s 75th Anniversary. The day was chosen to coincide with the release date of “Man of Steel” (movie). Subsequent Superman Days continued to be celebrated on the same day until 2025, when it was celebrated on the actual Superman anniversary, April 18, the day when the first issue of Action Comics, by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster was released in 1938. Warner Bros. celebrated the date by releasing several new comics and hosting a special screening of Richard Donner’s “Superman: The Movie” in the Warner Bros. Studio Lot.”

So you see, last year was an aberration, an anomaly, an exception, if you will.

Today, June 12, 2026 is THE day to celebrate and honor Superman Day.

Happy Superman Day!

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Farewell to Schlitz, The Beer That Got Me Drunk Before I Was Two Years Old

Posted on May 25, 2026 by J.M. Wetherington Sr.

This past Saturday, Pabst Brewing Company announced that, after 175 years, it was discontinuing production of Schlitz beer.

That touched a chord in me, because I got drunk on Schlitz beer before I was two years old.

My father was a drinker of Schlitz beer for many years. I can recall those bottles-then-cans in our refrigerator at home and in ice chests when we went fishing. Sometime around the mid-1960’s, I think, he switched to Budweiser. But until then he enjoyed his Schlitz.

I remember one of their commercial slogans was, “When you’re out of Schlitz, you’re out of beer!”

I, of course, do not personally remember getting drunk on Schlitz beer before I was two years old. So this tale comes from my mother telling the story over and over throughout my childhood.

As my mom tells it, her mom and dad came over to our house one Saturday or Sunday for a meal when I was around 18-19 months old. While my mom and Nana were in the kitchen preparing the meal, my father and grandfather were seated in the living room with some 6 to 8 feet of space between their chairs watching something on TV, chatting about things and each drinking a bottle of Schlitz.

I was in the living room with my dad and granddad, with my mother’s instructions to my father being, “James, keep an eye on Jeff while we get the food ready.”

As you’ll see, that didn’t exactly happen.

Sometime later, 30 or 45 minutes I was told, my mom came out of the kitchen to place food on the table and spotted her darling baby boy laughing, giggling, and stumbling about in a drunken stupor.

After a few seconds of watching my inebriated behavior my mom raised her voice and said, “James! That boy is drunk!”

Apparently, though neither my father or grandfather recall it, while I was with them I was toddling back and forth between their chairs taking sips out of each of their bottles of beer. And getting happier and happier with each round trip.

Needless to say, my mother was not happy with my father OR her father, but it did provide a funny story to tell later through the years. And now again today.

So farewell to Schlitz (which I can’t recall EVER drinking again after that day) one of my dad’s favorite beers.

Saying Goodbye To Bella

Posted on May 4, 2026 by J.M. Wetherington Sr.

It was 5 weeks ago today, on Monday, March 30, 2026, that Cindy and I awakened to know we would be saying goodbye to Bella that day. It was one of the worst days of our lives.

Even with everything the veterinarian did and prescribed for her during our visit to his office on the previous Saturday, Bella’s condition continued to deteriorate. He had told us that her kidney failure had progressed to stage 4 and though she MIGHT last a few more weeks or a month, it would probably not be long before she succumbed to its ravages. We held out hope, but sadly watched her condition decline more and more over the weekend.

By Monday morning Bella had still not eaten or had a bowel movement (two of the things that caused us to take her to the vet’s office on Saturday) and simply refused to go for a walk with Cindy. She was also losing her footing in her back legs and stumbling, a sign we had been told would signal the end of any quality of life for our sweet, sweet girl.

Back when she was first diagnosed with stage 3 kidney failure in March of 2024 during our stay in Austin, Texas, the vet there said we could not expect her to be with us for more than 2 months. Cindy and I vowed then that, as painful as it might be to us, we would not let Bella suffer. That never changed, but we have been thankful every day for the past 2 years of the unexpected and extra time we have had to spend with our furry family member.

We took a final photo of the three of us together, in front of Nomad, as we had been for the past 4 1/2 years while we traveled around the country. Cindy and I were trying not to sob in front of our girl, but it was almost impossible. Bella had been a part of our lives for 13 days shy of 15 years on that day, and our constant companion in the RV since my retirement.

During the 30-minute drive to the vet’s office we continued to try and not weep as she took her last trip with us, lying in her bed in the back seat as she had for so many years. But the sense of impending loss was so overwhelming that we had to keep wiping tears from our eyes and trying not to sob with sadness. Bella has always been attuned to our emotions, feelings and moods. We did not want her last memories of us to be sad ones, but it was SO hard.

We arrived at the vet’s office and they could tell by our faces that we were there to say goodbye.

They took us to a room off to the side and a very nice nurse came in and said she was so sorry. We went over what would happen; that she would give Bella an injection to sedate her and she would go into a deep sleep, then the vet would give an injection to stop her heart and Bella would never feel a thing and her pain would be over. Sadly, we already knew all that from having to do the same thing with Tigger a couple of years ago. Then she left to get a blanket for us to use on the floor. We just kept telling Bella how much we loved her while petting and hugging her. The nurse came back with the blanket and gave some treats to Bella and told us to take all the time we needed, and we needed it.

After several minutes the nurse returned and we told her we were as ready as we could be. We weren’t, not at all, however we couldn’t let Bella suffer any longer. But you’re never really ready to say goodbye. The nurse said she would be right back with the first injection.

The nurse returned and Bella pressed herself against my legs as the nurse gave her the injection. We spread out the blanket on the floor and Bella very quickly laid down on her right side as the sedative took effect. I laid down next to her with my chest against her back and my head by her ears, stroking her head and whispering to her how much we loved her and what a good girl she had always been. Cindy sat by her back legs, rubbing her legs and paws and telling her how she was the best girl ever. We were still trying not to cry, wanting to send her off on her next journey with all the love and good feelings that we could.

The vet came in and he was so kind. He said he knew how hard this was and how much we loved Bella. Then he gave her the final injection as we continued to pet, stroke and whisper to Bella.

While we laid there next to her on the floor it felt, to me, like something else was happening.

In my mind, Bella was standing between Cindy and I as we stood on each side of her, our hands petting her head. It was dark around us but in front of us was a heavy fog and through the lower portion of the fog we could see the beginnings of a footbridge glowing. Cindy and I were telling Bella that it was time and she took one step forward, then stopped and looked up at both of us as if to say, “Aren’t you coming too?”

“It’s not our time yet” I said, “but it’s ok for you to go. We love you so much!”

“We’ll be along later good girl” said Cindy, “you go find Tigger to play like you used to, and look around for Wolfie too. We will always love you!”

(Bella had come to us months after Wolfie’s passing, so she never met him. But it was funny; at the cabin Bella would never go near the spot in the kitchen where Wolfie had passed away. She would walk around it but never walk through the spot, as if she knew.)

The vet put his stethoscope on her chest, right next to where my left hand was as I laid next to her with my arm around her…

Bella turned her head to look at each of us one more time with those beautiful brown eyes of hers that always held so much love, then stepped forward onto the bridge and we watched her disappear into the fog.

“…She’s at peace” I heard him say as my hand felt her heart stop beating.

And Cindy and I could not hold back our tears any longer.

The nurse and vet told us to take all the time we needed as they left the room. We hugged and petted and stroked sweet Bella as our tears fell onto her fur.

She was the best girl ever!

Posted in Family | Tagged Bella | 2 Comments

Remembering Bella

Posted on March 30, 2026 by J.M. Wetherington Sr.

We had to say goodbye to this sweet girl today, and we’re heartbroken. She was a vital part of our family for 13 days shy of 15 years. Love and hug your furry family members. It goes so fast.

We’ve known this day was coming. That hasn’t made it any easier, but it has helped us prepare. We were told she would not be with us much longer 2 years ago this month. We’re immensely grateful that we got more time with her than we expected.

Our beautiful girl left us to go be part of everything while our loving arms were wrapped around her frail body. She was a miraculous creature and she had a good life with us. We’re proud of that. Not letting them suffer is the last act of love you can do for them.

Bella crossed the bridge peacefully on March 30, 2026.

[Show as slideshow]

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Why Do We Have Two Nostrils?

Posted on March 24, 2026 by J.M. Wetherington Sr.

Have you ever wondered why do we have two nostrils?

This article from Popular Science explains why.

View of two nostrils on a nose. — Screenshot

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Jimmy Fallon Serenades Stephen Colbert

Posted on March 23, 2026 by J.M. Wetherington Sr.

Cindy and I were watching The Late Show with Stephen Colbert a couple of weeks ago and he had Jimmy Fallon on as a guest. It’s easy to see that these two, as well as most of the other late night talk show hosts, are friends. At the end of the interview Jimmy serenades Stephen to the tune of “My Way” and Cindy and I were cracking up, but also a little sad.

Maybe, if you haven’t seen it yet, you might have a similar reaction too.

The link below is to the entire extended interview, but if you want you can skip to the 11:40 mark to see and hear just the song.

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Gout!

Posted on February 12, 2026 by J.M. Wetherington Sr.

It’s official, I have the old man’s disease, better known as Gout!

After a few weeks of bad joint pain alternating between my right and left foot, I finally took Cindy’s ~~nagging~~ advice and went to an urgent care center this morning.

The doctor (she had an awesome British accent) listened to my symptoms, examined my swollen, discolored big toe joint on my left foot and diagnosed exactly what Cindy had suggested a couple of weeks ago; I have the old man’s disease known as gout!

I have been prescribed a steroid (which will raise my blood sugar levels, but it can’t be helped), a strong pain reliever, and told to stay off my feet as much as possible. I’d already been doing that for a few days as much as I could and it helped reduce the swelling/pain, but not much. Anyway, now Cindy gets to wait on me hand and FOOT (pun intended) a little longer.

I’m trying to figure out exactly what caused mine. I don’t drink much beer (hell, if I have two a year that’s a lot), our red meat intake is not excessive and neither of us eat shellfish. These are three of the top causes of a rise in uric acid which is what results in gout. However, diabetics and those with kidney issues can be predisposed to getting gout, and I fit into both those categories. But, as the doctor told us, it can also be just a little of one of those foods or some other food that I may be sensitive to. Or it could be genetics though I don’t recall either of my parents (men get it more than women, but post-menopausal women can develop it also) ever having said they had gout.

So, I will probably have to get my PCP to prescribe a preventative medication in order to stop having these painful attacks. But I have to wait until a couple of weeks after this bout has subsided because the doctor said they don’t work while the flare-up is happening.

When I was a kid and heard of someone with gout, I imagined some decrepit old person with barely any time left on this earth. But I don’t feel old and decrepit and I hope I have more than a little time left in this old world.

It just goes to show what time and perspective can do to change your view.

And now I totally understand what Charles Dickens meant when he wrote, “Gout introduces you to a variety of new sensations which otherwise would be closed to you.”

For my part, I would have rather skipped the introduction to gout.

Posted in Health | Tagged Gout | 1 Comment

Fantastic Four Quiz

Posted on February 11, 2026 by J.M. Wetherington Sr.

Reading comic books for half my life and watching superhero movies the other half made me a Galactus-level winner of the SFX Magazine Fantastic Four quiz!

Posted in Comic Books, Movies | Tagged Fantastic Four | Comments Off

Shakespeare Addresses Immigration

Posted on February 8, 2026 by J.M. Wetherington Sr.

We watched “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” the other night and his guest was Ian McKellen. That in and of itself made the show more wonderful than usual. But, what was even more startling was to find out that McKellen had, earlier in his career, performed a part of a play where Shakespeare addresses immigration some 400 years ago. In fact, he performed it from memory right there on the stage of The Ed Sullivan Theater.

Here’s a video of Sir Ian McKellen performing that part of the play. It’s stirring and touching and amazing all at the same time.

Posted in Television | Tagged Ian McKellen, Shakespeare Addresses Immigration, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert | Comments Off

R.I.P. Chuck Negron

Posted on February 3, 2026 by J.M. Wetherington Sr.

As I was eating breakfast this morning, Cindy, sitting across from me at the dinette said, “Oh, the guy who sang ‘Joy To The World’ passed away.” That “guy” was Chuck Negron, member of one of the greatest rock groups of all time, Three Dog Night. He passed away yesterday at the age of 83 due to “complications from heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease…”

Chuck Negron of Three Dog Night. — timestampe=1770153284

In my mid-to-late teens, Three Dog Night was one of the most prolific rock, soft rock, and pop rock bands of the day as well as one of my favorites. From the time I was 14 until I was 20 (1969-1975), the band had 21 Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 hits, with 3 of those hitting the number 1 spot.

I remember in 1970, when I was 14 going on 15, sitting on the bus going to high school with my earphones in and my transistor radio on (so I didn’t have to interact with the other students) listening to “Mama Told Me Not To Come” and “Out In The Country”, both hits that year, on station WQAM (560 AM). Today that station is a sports format broadcaster, but back then it was Miami’s premiere Top 40 radio station.

I also remember reading back then that the origin of the band’s name was based on the fact that Aboriginal Australians would, on cold nights, sleep with one Dingo (a native species of wild dog) to keep warm. If the night was really cold they would sleep with two and if the night was freezing cold then it was a “three dog night” for them. My weird teen brain thought that was a cool thing to base your band name on, but today I STILL think that so maybe I haven’t grown much beyond my 15-year old self.

In addition to the two listed above, Three Dog Night had SO many great songs; “Joy to the World”, “One”, “Never Been To Spain”, “An Old Fashioned Love Song”, “Black and White”, “Eli’s Coming”, “Easy To Be Hard”, “Pieces of April”, “Celebrate”, “The Family Of Man”, “Liar” and others.

But I think MY favorite of ALL their songs is “Shambala” as it captured, to me at least, the feeling of the time which was that we were striving for a better world for all mankind. Plus I just liked the melody.

However, you also just can’t help but smile when you hear Chuck Negron belt out “Jeremiah was a bullfrog” at the beginning of “Joy To The World” and so with his passing he will be greatly missed.

Rest In Peace, Chuck Negron. Hope you found your Shambala.

Posted in Music | Tagged Chuck Negron, Three Dog Night | Comments Off